One of the most important jazz composers in American history. A mentor and outspoken advocate for scholars of race. The preeminent physiologist of the second half of the 20th century. A pioneering model for women.
For more than a century, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences has been home to renowned and discipline-defining academics. The research and scholarship foregrounded by these thought leaders influenced their respective fields and created new subfields in areas from math and physics to sociology and literature. They fostered lasting legacies of academic excellence that elevated the reputation of Duke University far beyond its regional roots.
Hear from a new generation of faculty leaders — and celebrated scholars in their own right — who have been mentored, influenced and encouraged by these titans of their fields, and who are following their paths and forging new ones into Duke’s second century.
Written by Anthony M. Kelley, Professor of the Practice of Music
This is a story of inspirational mentorship and the impact of Duke history on cultural life. It’s also a story of one of the most important musical compositions by one of the most important jazz composers in America’s history. Keep reading.
Written by H. Frederik Nijhout, John Franklin Crowell Distinguished Professor of Biology
Schmidt-Nielsen is probably best known for his discovery of how camels survive in the desert, walking in full sun without drinking for weeks. Keep reading.
Written by Jennifer Knust, Professor of Religious Studies
Clark committed herself to an orderly disruption of a moribund status quo and transformed the history of early Christianity into an entirely different field of study. Keep reading.
"Though I never knew her well, I knew of her — everyone did. She was a mentor to my mentor, and her scholarship has challenged me, again and again, to think in more disciplined, critical and expansive ways."
Jennifer Knust, Professor of Religious Studies on Elizabeth A. Clark
Written by Herbert Kitschelt, George V. Allen Distinguished Professor of International Relations
Aldrich’s scholarship has been visionary, anticipating developments in American politics that have come to full realization only recently. Keep reading.
Written by Cynthia Rudin, Earl D. McLean, Jr. Professor of Computer Science
Daubechies invented a really elegant way of storing the important information within images while preserving edges and allowing compression. Keep reading.
Written by Maureen Craig, Associate Research Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience
Jones explained how some people come to be seen as “normal” and others as “deviant." Keep reading.
Anyone who has seen this math cannot help but be stunned by its elegance, and the derivation boosted Ingrid into legendary status among the mathematical world as well as among electrical engineers.
Cynthia Rudin, Earl D. McLean, Jr. Professor of Computer Science on Ingrid Daubechies
Written by Lucia Strader, Professor of Biology
At Duke, Benfey's influence is apparent in his drive to bridge the gap between basic sciences and translation, and in his commitment to apply basic science discoveries to real-world challenges. Keep reading.
Written by Hedwig Lee, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Sociology
Bonilla-Silva makes clear: “Systematic racism is not about ‘the racists,’ but about the racism.” Keep reading.
Written by Kimberly Kay Lamm, Associate Professor of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies and Art, Art History and Visual Studies
For Sedgwick, queer theory was much more than an academic field devoted to thinking about gay and lesbian sexualities. Keep reading.
"Bonilla-Silva supports the work of scholars of color and scholarship in race and racism that is often pushed to the margins and delegitimated in academia. He has been a mentor and outspoken advocate for countless scholars of race even when doing so has negatively impacted his own career and well-being."
Hedwig Lee, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Sociology on Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
Written by Michael Hardt, Professor of Literature
We do live in a new era, Jameson maintained, but it is not characterized by the free play of meanings or instability of truth that postmodernists imagined. Keep reading.
Written by Haiyan Gao, Henry W. Newson Distinguished Professor of Physics
Newson was a leader and an institution builder who left a lasting impact on nuclear physics and the nuclear physics community. Keep reading.
Written by Adriane Lentz-Smith, Associate Professor of History
One could not understand what America was and is, Franklin asserted, without knowing African American history. Keep reading.
Trinity College of Arts & Sciences